Why Do We Even Try?

Kendra Broekhuis, a friend of mine, is an author and speaker.  She and her family moved to the inner city some years ago to learn to practice, “Love your neighbor.”  They have three living children (and one miscarriage child).  Awhile back, Kendra wrote the following.  Although what she wrote is specifically for parents of small children, the message is good for us all.

Sometimes I wonder why we even try.

Why do we go through the fuss of getting here with three small children?  Why do we come to sit down, just to have to get up and walk out when the baby starts screaming through the middle of prayer?  Why do we mess with the Kid Shuffles and the Mom Shushing? WHY DO I RUIN MY KID'S NAP FOR THIS?

But there's three things I want my children to know about Church:

1.      Christianity is not just about a personal relationship where you hide in your room and keep your life between you and Jesus.  There's an entire Body involved, which makes that whole "Jesus but not Church" thing a decapitated version of this faith.

2.      Church is community when the world feels friendless.  It's family when your own blood breaks down or is too far away to touch.  It's the place - no matter how much our own nation gets it wrong - for Jesus People of every tribe, tongue, and nation to belong.

3.      In a healthy church, the sick are the most welcome - the ones who know they need the Doctor.  The ones who desire to bring their sin to light and who want to rest in Grace.  And that's not a coming of age thing, but a heart thing.

And so even though I can't force the Spirit into my children's lives, I also don't expect them to suddenly "get it" on their own someday if Church isn't made a priority now.  So we talk the Bible at home.  But we also see that these kids - they're picking up on what we're doing here each Sunday.  Word by word.  Song by song.

I want my kids to not only hear but to see how much we needed the Church all along - even during seasons when all Mommy and Daddy heard were broken up pieces of a half hour sermon.

Kendra’s book, “Here Goes Nothing: An Introvert's Reckless Attempt to Love Her Neighbor” is available on Amazon and at bookstores.